The present invention relates to a drag control device in a spinning type fishing reel.
According to a conventional type drag control device in a spinning reel, a sleeve member protrudes from a rear portion of a reel body, and drag washers mounted over a spool shaft are assembled in the sleeve member. A drag control screw is threadingly engaged with the sleeve member, and a planar end of the drag control screw is brought into pressing contact with the drag washers. By the rotation of the drag control screw about its axis, the drag control screw is displaceable in an axial direction thereof because of threading enagement with the sleeve member, so that the drag washers are fully frictional to restrict rotation of a spool.
With the conventional structure, the drag control screw may be released or separated from the reel body due to its excessive rotation, or during fishing, the control screw may also be released due to free rotation thereof. Further, it would be rather difficult to provide optimum drag force in accordance with kinds of fishing lines, targetting fishes, and fishing rods, and furthermore, it would be also difficult to maintain drag force at a constant level.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-11797 shown in FIG. 1 discloses a drag control device in which a cylindrical drag control knob 100 engaged with a drag control screw (not shown) is disposed over a cylindrical member 101 integral with a reel body (not shown), and inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 101 is in threading engagement with an outer peripheral surface of the drag control screw which urges a drag washer 102 disposed over a spool shaft 103. The drag control knob 100 has an inner peripheral surface from which a projection 104 protrudes radially inwardly. Further, the sleeve member 101 has an outer peripheral surface provided with a projection 105 protruding radially outwardly. Upon rotation of the knob 100, the projection 104 is brought into abutment with the projection 105, so that over rotation of the knob 100 can be prevented, to thus obviate dropping of the knob 100 and drag control screw from the reel body.
According to this type of structure, drag control is only performed within a single rotation of the drag control knob 100. Further, the knob 100 may be rotated or angularly displaced freely upon shocking, etc.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-42310 discloses a mechanism for preventing a drag control knob from relaxation relative to a reel body. As shown in FIG. 2, in this publication, a drag knob 200 is threadingly engaged with a thread portion of a spool shaft (not shown), and the knob 200 is provided with a sleeve portion whose inner peripheral surface is formed with irregularities 201. A resilient latch member 203 extends from washers (not shown). The latch member 203 is engagable with the irregularities 201, so that excessive rotation of the knob 200 is prevented. That is, upon manual rotation of the knob 200, the latch member 203 resiliently rides over the irregularities 201. Upon termination of the rotation of the knob, the latch member 203 is in engagement with one of the recesses of the irregularities 201.
With this structure, over rotation of the knob 200 can be obviated. However, the knob may be separated from the reel body due to forcible manual rotation thereof.
Japanese utility Model Application Publication (kokai) No. 60-160155 discloses a drag mechanism in which surface irregularities 300 are formed at an outer peripheral surface of a drag control screw 301 as shown in FIG. 3. A cylindrical sleeve 302 extending from a reel body (not shown) is disposed over the drag control screw 301, and a click spring member 303 is fixedly secured to the sleeve 302. The click spring member 303 is selectively engageable with one of the recessed portions of the surface irregularities 300. With the structure, free rotation of the drag control screw can be prevented.
Further U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,561 discloses a clicker device for fishing reel, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,870 discloses a drag click device for fishing reel, whose technical field would be similar to that of the present invention.